Red Ribbon
by Kaorei
Summary: When Ladybug gets her hair chopped off by an akumatized victim, Adrien starts to grow suspicious because Marinette shows up to school the next day with the exact same haircut. ― Chat Noir/Ladybug (OR: The Haircut Reveal Fic)
_**Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. It belongs to its respective owner.**_

* * *

 **Red Ribbon**

"Marinette, your hair's getting so long!"

Those are the first words that Adrien hears upon entering his classroom in the early morning of Monday. He's exhausted from fencing, piano and photoshoots, but this doesn't stop him from flashing his friends a pearly-white grin. He takes his respective seat next to Nino and swivels around to join in on his friends' conversation, greeting each one of them a good morning.

Nino and Alya greet him with much enthusiasm, since the two of them have always been morning people. Marinette, on the other hand, stumbles all over her words before finally managing a quiet and shy, "Good morning."

"Adrien, don't you think Marinette's hair is getting long?" Alya asks, playing with Marinette's midnight pigtails. After one whole year of growing her hair out, Marinette's low pigtails now reach her mid-back. Her hair grows relatively fast, something Alya envies very much—her scarlet hair hasn't grown nearly half as much as Marinette's within the past year.

"You usually cut it once they're past your shoulders, what's up?" Nino asks Marinette, while Alya had gone from flipping her hair around to braiding it.

"Nothing's up. I just thought I'd change my style up a bit," Marinette answers easily, touching the pigtail that's free from Alya's grasp. "I've always had shoulder-length hair, so I thought I'd grow it out to see how it'd look."

"I think you look really nice with long hair," Adrien says all of a sudden, and as soon as those words escape his mouth, Marinette's face goes as red as a ladybug's wings (minus the black polka-dots, of course). "It's a nice change."

"R-really? I am—about—hair, you thank! I mean, yank thou! No, I mean—" Marinette stutters, words all jumbled up and incomprehensible. Adrien just laughs as she tries to pull herself together. Typical Marinette. "I mean, _thank you_! Thank you, A-Adrien."

The smile on Marinette's face is a bit too wide and her left eye twitches, but Adrien just laughs it off. He fails to see Alya slap her forehead and sigh in exasperation at her best friend's antics.

"Are you going to cut it anytime soon?" Nino asks once he's sure Marinette's all fine and functioning again. He brings a hand up to his shoulder, saying, "Are you going to go back to shoulder-length?"

Marinette shakes her head no. "I'm going to keep growing it out," she answers. "You won't be seeing me in short hair for a while."

"And I see your hair's grown about two inches since last year," Nino states, directing his attention to Alya, who sends him a glare. "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant one inch."

While Nino and Alya bickered like an old married couple, Adrien just turns to Marinette and laughs. Face red, Marinette joins in with his laughter as they both listen to their friends' argument.

"All right, quiet down everyone," Mme Bustier says as she walks into the room. At this, everyone stops talking and those standing up walk over to their assigned seats. Marinette's heart flies when Adrien sends her one last smile before turning around to face the teacher who has already gone on to talk about Charles Perrault's _Little Glass Slipper_ (or in other words, _Cinderella_ ).

"So, the Prince knows Cinderella's the one he danced with at the ball because of her glass slipper as an indicator," Mme Bustier explains. "Without it, he wouldn't have known for sure."

"But can't the Prince recognize her without the shoe?" Rose asks from the back of the class. "That's something I've always wondered when reading _Cinderella_. She only changes clothes; can't he recognize her even without the ball gown?"

"It may be obvious to us, but to them, not so much," Mme Bustier answers, putting down her _Cinderella_ book. "It actually very correctly reflects how we perceive things, believe it or not. You'd be surprised by how much a mask can change things."

This statement in particular catches both Adrien and Marinette's attention. They've been saving Paris for almost a year now, and yet, none of their friends, classmates or family members have been able to put the pieces together. In fact, Adrien and Marinette haven't been able to figure out their partner's identities either.

"But Cinderella and her Prince aren't wearing masks," Rose falters, tilting her head to the side.

Mme Bustier laughs. "I know, Rose. I was just using that as an example. What I meant was that the person you're looking for could be right in front of you, but the only way you'd know is an indicator of sorts."

Their class that morning ended up being a whole discussion about fairy tale clichés, and before all the students knew it, class was over. Mme Bustier reminds her students about their homework before stepping out of class, and they all return to packing their bags and continuing their conversations from earlier.

"A mask can't fool me," Nino says confidently, and it took all of Adrien and Marinette's willpower not to laugh. "I'd be able to tell who's behind the mask with just one look."

"Me too!" Alya exclaims, waving her hand in the air. She takes out her phone and presses the _Home_ button, revealing a picture of Ladybug as her lock screen. "If I knew Ladybug's alter ego in real life, I'm sure I'd be able to tell who it is."

"Same goes for Chat Noir!" Nino exclaims, stuffing his textbooks and pencil case in his backpack. "It's just a mask. If he were a classmate, I'm sure I'd know he was Chat Noir the moment I'd step into class."

Adrien and Marinette laugh quietly, both thinking, "No, you wouldn't."

* * *

The sun finally goes down, and the once orange-pink-blue sky has now been replaced by an endless sheet of midnight blue. Ladybug and Chat Noir are on patrol tonight, and once they've gone around Paris more than twice, they've decided to sit at the top of the Eiffel Tower to admire Paris at night.

Moonlight shines over the lit-up city, and stars dance gracefully in the sky above. Ladybug is sitting over the edge, her two feet dangling in the air, while Chat Noir is leaning over the tower's railings. They sit in a comfortable silence, when Chat Noir decides to finally break the ice.

"I see your hair's grown quite long, My Lady," Chat purrs, moving away from his spot to sit next to her. He's never really noticed the length of Ladybug's hair—all he's ever focused on were her bluebell eyes and her kind smile and her soft voice. "Are you going to cut it short again?"

Ladybug shakes her head. "I want to grow it out," she answers, running piano fingers through her silky black hair. This reply sends a spark of familiarity in Chat Noir's eyes, but he quickly shakes it off and listens when she continues, "Why? Do I look better in short hair?"

"You look _purr_ fect both ways," Chat Noir grins, though his pun earned him a good flat look and a whack on the head. He laughs—her reactions at his puns were always the cutest. "I'm not _kitten_ though. I think you look very pretty in both short and long hair."

"Hm," Ladybug hums, smiling. "Thank you, Chat."

"Are you really going to grow it out?" he asks again.

She nods. "I want a change. Instead of two pigtails, should I go for a high ponytail? Or maybe I should braid my hair? Oh, but it'd be much easier to fight in a bun, wouldn't it…"

Chat Noir smiles the entire time she's speaking. Ladybug looks so happy and full of _life_ when talking about the different ways she could style her hair if she were to grow it out. She talked about the different accessories she could put in her hair, and how nice it'd be if she were to curl it. She talked about the different cuts and styles she could have (like long layers, as an example), but she also talked about the consequences of having long hair, like having to take longer showers and using more shampoo.

Long hair or short hair, curly or straight, Chat Noir knew she'd look just as beautiful as she was now.

* * *

The next day at school, Adrien enters the school building with a loud yawn and baggy eyes. He and Ladybug ended up talking on top of the Eiffel Tower until the sun came up, and he only managed to get a good four-hour sleep before heading to school. It wasn't so bad though, he thought. He got to spend some extra time with Ladybug, after all.

From where he stands in the hallways, Adrien is able to hear Alya and Nino's excited screams and exclamations from their classroom. He groans, wondering just _how_ people could be so hyped up and overly-excited in the morning.

He enters the classroom and takes his seat next to Nino, who immediately wraps an arm around his shoulders. "Dude!" he exclaims. "We've been waiting for you!"

"For what?" Adriens asks, raising an eyebrow. He turns to the girls, and notices Alya shaking a flustered Marinette's shoulders. "Is today a special occasion?"

"Not today, but tomorrow— _yes_!" Alya answers, keeping a firm grip on her best friend's shoulders. "It's Marinette's birthday!"

"Alya!" Marinette flushes, placing her hands on her cheeks. "You _know_ I don't like the attention—"

"Marinette," Adrien cuts in, and Marinette freezes at the sound of his voice. She turns away from Alya and looks down at the blond sitting in front of her, cheeks glowing red. "Tomorrow's your birthday?"

"Wh-what? Oh, yes! Torromow's by mirthday! I mean, _b_ irthday—yes—tomorrow!" Marinette bumbles pathetically, making him laugh like she always does. She really is a funny (and somewhat adorable) character. He just wonders why she's only this way around him; she can talk to anyone else just fine. Adrien merely shrugs and quickly dismisses the thought.

"I'll be sure to get you a gift, then," Adrien says with a brilliant smile. "What would you like?"

"What? Oh, no need to get me anything!" Marinette answers, waving her hands frantically before her. "Really, it's fine. I don't want anything. Thank you, though."

"Oh, come on, Marinette! You say that every year," Alya says. "Even if you don't answer, we're all still going to get you something, and you know that. Adrien wasn't here on your last birthday, but even I know he's going to get you something even if you're against it."

"She's right, you know," Adrien replies, shooting Alya a nod. "So, might as well just tell us what you want."

Marinette pouts. "All right, you guys win," she says. "Well, I'm fine with anything, really. I don't mind what you guys decide to get me, I'm sure I'd love it all the same."

"I _hate_ it when people say that," Nino groans, taking his baseball cap off to scratch his head in frustration. "That just makes it harder for us to find you a gift!"

"He's right, you know," Alya says, nudging the black-haired girl. "Give us something _specific_."

"I don't want anything in particular though," Marinette laughs, waving her hands. "Really, I'm probably the easiest person to shop for. I really would love and appreciate anything that's given to me."

When Mme Bustier walks into the room, Adrien turns around and grins happily. He loves giving others gifts, especially _birthday_ gifts for _friends_.

Adrien knows Marinette loves fashion, so maybe if he got her some fabric to work with? He suddenly frowns. If she likes to sew and design, then she must already have a ton of those back at home. He thought of getting her sweets, but she lives in a bakery—she has those every day, he's sure.

Adrien couldn't concentrate the entire class because all he thought of was getting Marinette the perfect gift. This is going to be his first time getting her a gift, and he is _not_ ready to mess it up.

School finally comes to an end, and Adrien's stopped by Alya and Nino at the front of the school. Marinette is nowhere in sight, which is weird considering she's always there when Alya is.

"Adrien!" Alya exclaims, pulling the blond aside. "Do you want to come shopping with me and Nino? We're going to go look for a gift for Marinette."

Adrien smiles widely, and exclaims, "Sure, I'll come! I actually really need help looking for one."

"Same here; I have _no idea_ what to get her," Nino says, fixing his baseball cap. "Lucky we have Alya here. She knows every single thing about Marinette."

"Just leave it to me, guys," Alya says, pointing a proud finger at herself. "I'll help you find the _perfect_ gift for her. Trust me."

Adrien smiles. "Thank y—LOOK OUT!"

Adrien's eyes widen at the sight of the incoming danger, and ducks, bringing Alya and Nino down with him. He turns his head to see what had just been thrown at them to find two paper balls the size of his head on the ground. He gets up, runs over to them, and gently taps one with his foot.

"It's… it's just paper," Adrien observes. "But it's as heavy as a cannon ball."

He hears screams and turns just in time to see Alya and Nino running away to seek safety. Once they're long gone and off to hide somewhere to save their necks, Adrien hides behind a nearby tree to transform.

While hidden behind the tree, Adrien pokes his head out just in time to see the akumatized victim exit the school building. A bag is slung across their chest, where multiple rolls of white paper stick out of it. Adrien watches as Ladybug jumps into the scene with her yoyo, and his heart flutters.

"Really?" Ladybug groans, spinning her yoyo in front of her to block the enemy's attacks. "Chloe has to akumatize yet _another_ student? This is _seriously_ getting out of hand."

The victim, aptly named Paperman, grabs a piece of paper, quickly makes a paper bow and arrows, and proceeds to try to shoot her down. Ladybug runs across the campus, shielding herself from the attacks with her yoyo.

"HOW ARE YOU EVEN ABLE TO MAKE THOSE THINGS SO FAST?!" Adrien hears Ladybug scream from where he stands.

He turns away and lifts his shirt up, and Plagg comes flying out of it with a slice of camembert cheese in his hands. "Say, if that paper ball actually felt like a cannon ball, do you think if the akuma made an origami cheese slice, it'd taste like camembert?" Plagg asks, shoving the rest of his food in his mouth.

"No time for joking, we have to save everyone _and_ help Ladybug!" Adrien exclaims. He punches the air, shouting, "Plagg, transform me!"

After his transformation, Chat Noir jumps out of his hiding spot and lands right next to his partner, greeting with a grin, "Nice to see you, My Lady."

"Hello, Chat Noir," Ladybug nods with a smile. She then turns to the akumatized victim, her face growing serious when she explains, "The akuma's in the origami rose in his pocket!"

Chat Noir averts his gaze to the victim, eyeing the rose tucked neatly in his breast pocket. He gives Ladybug a knowing nod, and the two of them run head-first into battle. They fight side by side, like two pieces in a puzzle, but neither of them was prepared for what came next. Their fight has moved inside the school, and luckily, there is no one in sight. Everyone probably managed to leave the building safely.

Paperman was distracted by Chat Noir's attacks that he was unaware of Ladybug creeping up behind him. Just inches away from grabbing his akuma, Paperman notices her hand and turns around instantly, startling Ladybug. She immediately turns on her heel and runs, but Paperman reaches into his bag and throws a dozen of pre-made paper shurikens in her direction.

Ladybug managed to make it out of the way just in time, but her hair sure didn't.

Ladybug and Chat Noir watch in horror as her black hair falls to the ground after getting the cut of its life. She stops spinning the yoyo in her hands, and she just collapses to the ground with wide eyes. Ladybug runs a hand through her hair, and tears well up in her eyes when she touches the space her long hair used to occupy. A whole year's worth of hair is now gone, and it didn't take much for it to get this way—scary how things can disappear so quickly.

Chat Noir sees Ladybug's reaction and feels nothing but complete disappointment in himself for not being able to save her. Ladybug looks up with anger and sadness in her eyes, and summons her Lucky Charm to finally end this.

"A fork? What am I supposed to do with this?" Marinette asks out loud. She looks around the building, memorizes the ladybug-printed pattern, and performs the action immediately.

Ladybug runs into the cooking department's room and throws the fork inside the nearest microwave. She punches fifteen seconds into the timer, and runs out, gesturing for Chat Noir to lure Paperman into the room. Chat Noir nods, and kicks the akumatized victim into the room with all his strength. Paperman tumbles to the floor and scrambles to his feet to keep fighting, but Ladybug shuts the door right in his face.

Chat Noir and Ladybug watch Paperman through the door's window as he runs to the door and pounds on it violently. He then proceeds to take out a piece of paper, but before he can even make something out of it, the microwave behind him makes an explosion sound. The microwave's door busts open, and smoke emerges from it, travelling all the way up to the fire detector.

" _NO_!" Paperman shouts, attempting to fan it away, but it's too late. The sprinklers go off, wetting both him and his papers, rendering them useless.

The door swings open and Ladybug grabs his origami rose and rips it apart, where a black butterfly flies out of it. She successful captures it with her compact and releases a white butterfly, then throws her Lucky Charm in the air, screaming, "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

Magic dust fills the air and Chat Noir waits for it to swirl around Ladybug's hair to return it to its normal length. He waits for it to undo her chopped locks, and he waits for her to smile again.

But it doesn't.

Ladybug's hair remains short. It stops right above her shoulders—too short to be tied into pigtails. She falls to her knees when realization hits her, and tears instantly roll down her cheeks. Chat Noir's never seen her cry before. Ladybug has always been always so strong; seeing her like this made his heart ache.

He walks up to her and kneels down, turning his back to her.

"Ch-Chat?" Ladybug sniffles, wiping away the tears that blur her vision. "Wh-what are you d-doing?"

"We're leaving," Chat Noir whispers. Ladybug nods her head and climbs onto his back, and buries her face in it. He can feel her tears through his costume, but he doesn't care.

They don't even take a glance at the akumatized victim; Chat Noir quickly stands on his feet and jumps out the window, where he takes the crying Ladybug to the roof of a townhouse. When he puts her down, she's still sobbing her heart out.

Chat Noir kneels down in front of her. "Your transformation's going to wear off any second now," he tells her softly. "Go get something for your kwami to eat and meet me back here."

"Chat Noir…" Ladybug sobs, looking up at him with a broken expression on her face. He puts a hand on her shoulder and wipes away some of her tears with a reassuring smile.

"I'll be waiting," Chat Noir says.

At this, Ladybug slings her yoyo in the air and swings off into the city of Paris. Chat Noir waits at the edge of the roof, swinging his legs over the edge as he waits for her. He didn't use Cataclysm for today's battle, so he isn't going to be transforming back into Adrien anytime soon.

A few minutes later, Ladybug returns and sits right next to him. She dangles her legs over the edge as well, and she stares straight ahead with an unreadable expression on her face. Chat Noir moves closer to her and pushes her head against his shoulder.

"You can cry on my shoulder," he says softly. "I know you want to."

This sets her off, and Ladybug buries her face in his chest while she cries. Chat Noir throws both his arms around her and doesn't say a word—he just lets her cry for as long as she wants.

He thinks it's weird that she's crying so hard just because of a haircut. But then he remembers that just the day before, she was talking about styling her hair and growing it out. She was talking about keeping it long and not wanting to go back to having short hair again just yet.

They stay in the same position until the sky becomes a mixture of orange and pink and purple and blue, and the sun starts to set in the distance.

Ladybug's sobs have quieted down to little hiccups every now and then, and when she's all right again, she lets go of her partner and looks up at him.

"Chat," she says. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Ladybug," he answers.

Ladybug gets back up on her feet and sighs, "A good cry always makes you feel better." She then runs her fingers through her short hair, wondering if she will ever get used to its new length. "Thank you for being there for me, Chat. I really do appreciate it. I'll see you tomorrow night for patrol, all right? I think I just want to be alone for tonight." She frowns, "Guess I'm going to have to wait another year or two for it to grow back."

Ladybug slings her yoyo, and she's about to jump off the roof, when: "Ladybug," Chat Noir stops her.

"Yes?" she asks, turning to him.

Chat Noir smiles. "I think you look just as pretty with short hair."

Ladybug gives him one last time before swinging away and disappearing behind the buildings. Chat Noir watches her go with a smile on his face, which quickly drops open in panic. His eyes widen and he screeches, " _Marinette's gift_!"

Chat Noir lets his transformation go and becomes Adrien once again, and he's running down every street to look for an open store. Unfortunately, all the stores are either closed or closing, and that's when he really starts to panic. He's going to upset Marinette, and Alya is going to beat him up with the wrath of a thousand men.

He stops running when he thinks there's no more hope, but then he looks up and swears he can see holy golden light shining upon the only open store in the street. He sprints into the store, panting heavily, and looks around for something he thinks Marinette would like.

"Do you think she's a fan of Chat Noir?" Adrien asks Plagg as he browses through all the Chat Noir merchandise in the humble little shop.

Plagg raises an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" he asks, making Adrien groan. He looks through the Ladybug merchandise, but he's pretty sure that Marinette wouldn't like anything Ladybug-related. This kind of thing is more for Alya.

"I can't believe I forgot about her birthday gift," Adrien says, burying his face in his hands. "I'm the worst friend ever."

"You can say that again."

"Thanks, Plagg."

Adrien sighs and begins walking in the direction of the exit, when something suddenly catches his eye. He runs over to it and picks it up with a smile on his face.

"I think she's going to like this."

* * *

"Adrien, where did you go yesterday?" Nino asks the moment Adrien takes his seat next to him. "Alya and I looked everywhere for you. What happened, man?"

Adrien scratches the back of his head, (fake) laughing sheepishly. "I kind of forgot I had a photoshoot yesterday," he lies smoothly. "I had to leave right after the akuma attack. I couldn't go around looking for you guys because I was already running really late. Father wasn't so happy."

"Why didn't you just text us?" Alya asks, shaking the phone in her hand.

"My battery died," Adrien answers, and luckily, the two seemed to have bought it (or so he hoped). They talk for minutes, waiting for the birthday girl to come, when Alya suddenly gets a text.

"She's on her way here!" Alya exclaims, grabbing the gift she got for her. "Alright, so the moment she steps into the room, we all scream, _Happy birthday, Marinette_! Got it?"

"Loud and clear," Nino says, taking out his present as well. Adrien responds to the scarlet-haired girl by nodding his head in understanding.

Alya hears the door open and her face evidently lights up. "Happy birthday— _Marinette_?" Her eyes suddenly widen in shock, her jaw drops open, and she drops the present that is in her hands, which makes a thud once it hits the desk.

Seeing Alya's reaction, Nino and Adrien turn their heads around to see why she was acting this way, only to have the exact same reaction as her.

There, in front of them, stands Marinette with _short_ hair.

They all watch in silence as she makes her way to her spot next to Alya, the three of them keeping the same shocked expression on their faces. When Marinette sits down, she looks at all of them, and then asks, "Um, is there something wrong…?"

"Y-your… hair," Nino manages to say as he points at her chopped locks. "What happened? _Why_?"

"Oh, this?" Marinette asks, touching her short hair. "I decided to cut it short again for my birthday."

"But just yesterday, you said you wanted to grow it out," Alya says, eyeing her hair. "Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?"

"I was thinking about it last night and it's a lot easier to deal with short hair," Marinette laughs. "Long hair always gets in the way, and the amount of shampoo I have to use to wash it is too much. I thought I'd make my life easier by cutting it short again."

Adrien doesn't say anything, and only a sharp gasp escapes from his mouth as he observes her short hair. It looks a little _too_ similar to Ladybug's length from when it got cut from yesterday's akuma. But he shakes his head—there's no way _Marinette_ could be _Ladybug_.

Marinette is shy and fumbles over her words and is probably the clumsiest person he knows. Ladybug is confident and speaks her mind and is quick on her feet. There's just no way.

"Well, enough about your hair—which looks very cute on you, by the way—happy birthday, Marinette!" Alya exclaims, attacking Marinette with a hug. She then holds out her gift for her, which Marinette graciously takes.

She unwraps the present and holds up a sewing kit completely equipped with needles, thread, scissors and everything. Marinette holds the box up, jumping up and down excitedly on her chair, "A new sewing kit?!"

Alya nods. "You always complain how your current one was getting pretty old and worn-out, so I decided to buy you a new one," she explains, and Marinette throws her arms around Alya and hugs her tightly.

"Thank you, Alya!" she exclaims happily upon releasing her. "I really do love it!"

Nino holds his gift out and a tilt of his hat. "Happy birthday, Marinette. I hope you like it," he tells her.

Marinette takes the gift out of his hands and unwraps, squealing, "It's the new Jagged Stone CD! I've wanted to get this for so long! Things kept popping up, so I never had the chance to get it, how did you know?!"

"I'm glad you like it! You really have Alya to thank again for it though," Nino laughs. "I just paid for it."

"Thank you, both of you," Marinette says happily, holding her two gifts against her chest. The three of them then turn to Adrien, who turns red at their gazes.

"Hey Adrien, are you all right?" Alya asks, raising an eyebrow. "Your face is all red."

"Yeah, it's just…" Adrien starts, looking down at the little box in his hands. "My present looks so bad compared to both of yours." He then turns to Marinette and says, "Why don't I buy you a new present tomorrow? It'll be much better than the one I got you—"

"Come on, Adrien," Nino says, nudging him. "It doesn't matter. It's the thought that counts, right?"

"Nino's right, you know," Alya nods. "Besides, Marinette never asked for a gift. Like she mentioned yesterday, she'd be happy with anything."

Sighing, Adrien takes the little box out and presents it to Marinette, who looks down at it curiously. He explains, "The photoshoot ended up taking longer than usual, and by the time it was over, the stores were already closed or about to close. This is all I managed to get. I'm sorry."

Marinette takes the box out of his hands and opens it up. A smile instantly breaks into her face and she happily exclaims, "A red ribbon!" She takes the ribbon out, and holds it in the palms of her hands, staring down at it as if it were the most precious thing on Earth.

"I'm sorry it's so small," he apologizes. "I really wanted to get you the perfect gift."

"No, no! This _is_ perfect," Marinette tells him with a smile. Adrien looks up at her in shock, and sees nothing but sincerity in her blue eyes. ( _Ladybug also has blue eyes_ , he thinks. But he shakes off the feeling because plenty of girls have blue eyes—it's not like Ladybug's the only one with that eye color).

When his thoughts leave him, he looks up, surprised to see Marinette tying the red ribbon in her hair, and she grins once she's done. "How do I look?"

"It looks good on you," Adrien says truthfully.

"Thank you for the gift, Adrien," Marinette says. "I really do love it."

Adrien smiles. "No problem, Marinette."

(He almost said Ladybug).

* * *

It's nighttime again, and Chat Noir waits at the top of a townhouse's roof for Ladybug to come along. She's running pretty late, but he doesn't mind. She's still probably really upset over the fact that her hair got cut off by Paperman.

"Good evening, Chat," a familiar voice from behind him greets. Chat Noir's ears perk up, and his cat tail wags excitedly at the very sound of it.

He whips his head around and says, "Good evening, My Lad—"

Chat Noir's eyes widen.

There's a red ribbon in Ladybug's hair, and it looks _exactly_ like the one he gave Marinette earlier that day for her birthday. Chat Noir's mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. This couldn't just be a mere "coincidence".

Ladybug notices his unusual behavior, and she approaches him and takes a seat next to him. "Um, are you all right, Chat Noir?" she asks in confusion.

Chat Noir accidentally lets out a small whimper before continuing, "Where did you get your ribbon?" He says it in such a low whisper, it's barely inaudible. Ladybug manages to hear him and answers, completely oblivious to his shock.

Ladybug touches her ribbon. "My friend gave it to me today for my birthday," she answers, and Chat Noir chokes and his heart stops beating for a good second.

"I didn't know it was your birthday…" Chat Noir says, shaking up and down.

"The subject never popped up, I guess," Ladybug laughs, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really like the attention, so I don't really promote it."

"Is that so," he says quietly. His thoughts go to his class earlier that day, which reminds him briefly of Monday's class discussion about _Cinderella_ , and Mme Bustier's words go through his mind.

" _The person you're looking for could be right in front of you, but the only way you'd know is an indicator of sorts."_

Maybe it's all just a coincidence. Marinette getting her hair cut the day right after Ladybug gets hers cut, Marinette having blue eyes, Marinette having the same birthday as Ladybug, Marinette having the same red ribbon as Ladybug.

An idea pops into Chat Noir's mind. If Marinette _is_ Ladybug, then this would surely prove it.

"My Lady," Chat Noir begins, jumping to his feet. He almost stumbles as he does so, but he quickly catches his balance. Too many things are running through his mind, and he's going crazy. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave early for tonight."

"What? But I just got here!" Ladybug exclaims sadly, standing up as well. She looks genuinely upset, but Chat Noir doesn't give in. "Stay for a bit longer!"

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Ladybug, I can't," he says. "But please, meet me at the top of Eiffel Tower tomorrow evening. I have something to give you."

With that, Chat Noir gives her a nod and then jumps off the building, disappearing into the night and leaving behind a disappointed Ladybug.

* * *

The next day at school, Mme Bustier decides to talk about _The Little Mermaid_ , which contains another way of being able to recognize someone that differs from _Cinderella_.

"Hans Christian Andersen demonstrates in _The Little Mermaid_ how you could recognize someone by _what_ if not their face?" Mme Bustier asks the class. When Marinette shoots her hand up, she nods at her student, urging her to answer.

"Their voice," Marinette answers confidently.

"Correct," Mme Bustier says. "The Prince is attracted to the mermaid because of the sound of her voice, but since the mermaid sold her voice to the sea witch, then there's no way the Prince can ever find out it's her."

"Since when were _you_ a fan of fairy tales?" Adrien overhears Alya ask Marinette behind him.

"Always," Marinette replies easily. "I love _Disney_ movies, didn't you know?"

"Really?" Alya asks. "You never told me that."

Marinette laughs. "The subject never popped up, I guess."

Adrien's entire body freezes when he hears Marinette say that. What a coincidence that they were talking about recognizing someone through the sound of their voice because that's happening to him at this moment. _Ladybug_ said the exact same words as Marinette in the exact same tone and voice just the night before.

" _I didn't know it was your birthday…" Chat Noir says, shaking up and down._

" _The subject never popped up, I guess," Ladybug laughs, scratching the back of her head._

His entire world starts spinning, and the room's temperature shoots up by ten degrees all of a sudden. Mme Bustier's voice slowly fades into the background and before he knows it, all Adrien can hear is his own panicked breathing.

Nino notices his friend's strange behavior and whispers to him, "Hey Adrien, are you all right?"

Adrien swallows hard. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," he stutters, faking a smile and pulling on his collar. "It's just a bit hot in the classroom."

It's not confirmed yet, but he's thoroughly convinced that Marinette is Ladybug. Whether she is or not, he'll be getting his answer tonight.

Class finally comes to an end, and Nino, Alya and Marinette are talking about going to the movies later on this week. Adrien hears them talking about the newest movie that's coming out on Friday, and how cool it would be if they all go together.

"Adrien, do you think your dad will let you come on Friday?" Nino asks as he aggressively shoves his school books and pencil case in his backpack.

"I'm going to have to ask Nathalie if my schedule's free," Adrien says, and when he catches Marinette's eye, he nearly trips on his own feet. He composes himself after his stumble and continues, "But I'm pretty sure I can make it."

"Awesome!" Alya exclaims, waving her hands in the air. "I can't wait!"

"We should go right after school," Marinette suggests. "A lot of people are probably going to go see it too, so we should go early to get good seats."

They all talk about Friday's plan on their way out, but Adrien follows silently behind. He takes this as an opportunity to observe Marinette, and while she's laughing at something Nino says, he imagines a red and black polka-dotted mask on her and he sees _Ladybug_. It's a perfect match.

They step outside of the school building, and Adrien sees Nathalie standing outside next to his father's car. Adrien turns to his friends and says, "I'll see you tomorrow, guys. Photoshoot." He nods his head over to the car.

Nino nods, and then proceeds to fist-bump him. "See you tomorrow, man."

"See you, Adrien," Alya smiles. She then nudges Marinette with her elbow, who gives him a quiet and shy goodbye with a little wave.

Adrien walks over to his car and goes inside, followed by Nathalie who shuts the door once she's inside. The driver steps on the accelerator and drives off to the location of the photoshoot. Adrien has his elbow on the window and his palm on his cheek while he waits to be taken to wherever the photoshoot is taking place at, when they pass by a familiar little shop.

"WAIT!" Adrien exclaims, starling both Nathalie and the driver, who slams on the brakes. Luckily, there weren't any cars around them when he did so.

"Adrien, what's wrong?" Nathalie asks, and although her voice is monotonous, he can sense if not the tiniest bit of worry in it. "We have to get to the photoshoot right away—"

"I have to buy something really quick," he says, pointing out the car's window with his thumb.

"Adrien, you're already late for your photoshoot—"

" _Please_?"

Nathalie sighs. "Fine. But be sure to do it fast."

* * *

The stars are twinkling in the night sky and the city of Paris is sleeping when Chat Noir makes it to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug is already there, and she's sitting on the edge of the tower, stretching her legs out, and then swings them back and forth as they dangle in the air. Chat Noir grips the little box in his hands before making his way over to her with a smile that could light up the dark sky.

"Good evening, My Lady," Chat Noir bows before he sits next to her. He doesn't even give her time to respond to that, and just tosses her the little box. Ladybug looks down at it in surprise, and Chat jokes, "I'm not proposing to you, I _purr_ omise."

"Chat, please shut up," Ladybug says with a smile and a roll of the eyes. She carefully unwraps the present and opens it up to see a blue ribbon inside of it. "A blue ribbon?"

Chat Noir nods. "It matches your eyes," he smiles. "And I know your friend already got you a ribbon, but please wear this one as well. If possible, wear it for tomorrow's patrol. I really am sorry about your long hair, but you can still style it, you know. If it's any consolation, like I've said before, I think you still look pretty with short hair."

"Chat Noir," Ladybug whispers with a tinge of happiness in her tone. She looks up at him with the brightest smile and tells him, "Thank you."

He smiles. "Happy birthday, Ladybug."

* * *

Adrien is sitting in class, waiting impatiently for Marinette to come walking into the classroom. If she _is_ Ladybug, then she'll be wearing the blue ribbon. If she _isn't_ Ladybug, then she'll be wearing the red ribbon.

"Sorry for not answering your calls, Alya. I was helping my parents out at the bakery yesterday."

Adrien hears her voice from where he sits. Marinette is steps away from entering the classroom, and he doesn't know how he's going to feel once his eyes land on the color of the ribbon in her hair because Adrien Agreste has been in love with Ladybug for almost a year now. He's been trying to figure out who the girl behind the mask is, and the person he's looking for could've been the one sitting behind him in class this entire time.

He hears her getting closer to the classroom, and he takes a deep breath, preparing himself for the truth.

"Three. Two," he counts. "One."

Marinette steps into the room.

Adrien's heart stops.

The ribbon in her hair is blue.

* * *

Chat Noir and Ladybug are once again on top of the Eiffel Tower that same evening, having gone around Paris three times for patrol. Hawkmoth hasn't attacked in two days—which is quite odd, not that they're complaining—and so the two prepare themselves for yet another night of chatting under the stars.

But Chat Noir is quiet rather than being his loud and _punny_ self, and Ladybug starts to worry after several minutes of silence. She gives it a few more moments, and when he doesn't say anything after five minutes, she breaks the ice.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug starts, grabbing her partner's attention. He immediately turns his head in her direction. "Are you all right?"

Chat Noir hesitates for a second. "Of course I am, My Lady," he answers with a forced grin, which Ladybug sees right through. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you sure?" Ladybug asks. "You're quieter than usual."

"It's nothing, don't worry about me," Chat Noir finally says. There's silence again, until: "Ladybug, you're… wearing the ribbon I gave you." He turns away as he says this, and for the first time, he's admiring the view of the city instead of the person sitting next to him.

He's nervous and awkward and he doesn't know if he should go through with this after all. But not telling Ladybug— _Marinette_ —that he knows it's her is another form of betrayal, and he'd rather jump off the Eiffel Tower than ever betray her. Because Ladybug and Marinette are both his friend, classmate and in some way, his first love. He has to let her know.

Ladybug smiles and touches the bow tied in her ebony hair. "Of course, why wouldn't I?" she grins, pulling on the ribbon's bunny ears to tighten its grip on her hair. "Thank you again for the gift. I really do appreciate it, Chat."

"You're welcome," Chat Noir responds, eyes kept locked on the city beneath them. "What about the red one?"

"I love it all the same," Ladybug says with sincerity. "I'm probably going to alternate between ribbons each day. I wouldn't want to upset my friend who gave me the red one."

Chat Noir hesitates a second time that night. But he has to know—know if Ladybug really _is_ Marinette. If Marinette really _is_ Ladybug.

He takes a deep breath before continuing, "T-tell me about this friend," Chat Noir says and curses himself at the nervous deliverance of his question. "What's he like?"

"He's perfect," Ladybug answers almost too quickly, and she seems to not have noticed his nervousness. Her eyes sparkle the more she describes him. "He's only been in public school for about a year, but I can tell he's doing really well. He's a part-time model for his dad's company, so his schedule is almost always packed."

"I see. He must be on the cover of tons of fashion magazines, huh?" Chat Noir asks, playing along.

She nods. "And he's just— _amazing_. He gets really good grades even though he already has so much on his plate. He's also really friendly and kind, and I know this because he's friends with _Chloe_. If you haven't noticed before, she isn't exactly the nicest person. He's also really athletic! For sports, he—"

"Fences."

"Yeah, how did you know? Oh, and aside from being athletic, he's also musically talented. He's really good at playing the—"

"Piano."

"And he loves learning new languages like—"

"Chinese," Chat Noir finishes. "He's in his third year and sits at the front in Mme Bustier's class. His best friend is Nino, feathers make him sneeze, and he's the son of the famous Gabriel Agreste."

Ladybug's mouth hangs open. "That's right. How do you…"

"Marinette," Chat Noir says softly, turning his head to look at her. "I'm sorry. You wanted us to keep our identities secret, but I—it wasn't on purpose, if that's what you think! I just… happened to find out. There were just too many _coincidences_ and too many similarities between you and Ladybug, so it just… clicked."

Ladybug's face remains just as surprised. She says quietly, "If you know who _I_ am, then who are _you_?"

Chat Noir points at the ribbon in her hair with a small smile. "What's the name of the person who gave you the red ribbon?"

Ladybug is confused at first, but her eyes suddenly go wide because everything finally starts falling into place. "Adrien?" she whispers, placing her hands on her mouth out of surprise. "Is it really…?"

He nods, letting go of his transformation to prove it. "I'm sorry, Marinette."

When she doesn't say a word after that, Adrien starts to regret telling her.

"Remember on Monday's class how we talked about recognizing someone with the help of an indicator?" Adrien asks, and Ladybug nods her head slowly. He looks down and rubs his arm nervously as he continues, "I kind of noticed that when Ladybug got her hair cut, Marinette did too. I thought it was a coincidence at first, but you had the _exact_ same haircut. I didn't do it on purpose to find out, but since I—as Adrien—gave you a red ribbon for your birthday, I was a bit surprised to see the same red ribbon in your hair as Ladybug. So, I gave you that blue ribbon to make sure if it's you, and… well…"

He stops after realizing that he's bumbling—and he thinks it's funny because their roles have reversed. He's the one rambling, and she's the one left confused. Ladybug remains silent, and he thinks she's going to leave him any second now and never turn back, but she doesn't.

"I'm sorry, Adrien."

Adrien looks up, blinking. "You're… sorry?"

She nods, and stands up to let go of her transformation. There's a pink glow that surrounds her, and Adrien closes his eyes because of its brightness. When the light disappears, Adrien opens up his eyes to see Marinette standing in front of him.

"You must be disappointed," Marinette says, looking down. "Ladybug's everything I'm not. She's confident and brave and can actually form coherent sentences when talking to you. I know how much you love her, and I'm just… sorry she turned out to be me."

Adrien shakes his head at her words, and seeing the melancholic expression on her face, he pulls her in for a hug. Marinette doesn't know how to react—instead she remains frozen in place, and she only hopes that he can't feel the loud thumping of her heart.

"I'm not disappointed," Adrien whispers. "I'm glad it's you."

At his words, Marinette smiles and hugs him back.

"I'm glad it's you, too."

* * *

"Come on, guys! The movie's going to start any minute now!" Alya exclaims, dragging Nino by the arm into the cinema. Adrien and Marinette follow closely behind, throwing little glances at each other every now and then.

While Alya and Nino argued over what size of popcorn to buy and which bags of candy to get, Adrien and Marinette take this as an opportunity to talk. They've been a little more quiet around each other than usual, something Alya and Nino definitely noticed. But whenever they asked either of them, Adrien and Marinette's answers were always the same: "It's nothing."

How are you supposed to explain to someone that all this time, your partner had been so close? That all this time, you were stuck in a criss-crossed love? That all this time, you weren't able to put the pieces together, and it took a red ribbon to figure it out? That all this time, _Adrien_ was _Chat Noir_ , and _Marinette_ was _Ladybug_?

"So… uh," Adrien starts awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He looks over at the girl next to him, and his face flushes when he sees the red ribbon he gave her tied in her hair. "Are you still trying to get used to all of this too?"

Marinette nods. "It's hard to believe. I mean, _you_ being the flirty Chat Noir who makes _cat puns_ whenever he gets the chance?" she laughs. "Chat is so different from Adrien."

Adrien laughs. "You love my puns, don't deny it," he winks, and Marinette roll her eyes.

"Stop kidding yourself," Marinette laughs, but her smile fades and her eyes widen when she sees the glint in Adrien's eyes. "Oh no—Adrien, _don't you dare_ —"

"Or should you say…"

"Adrien, I'm _warning_ _you_ —"

"Stop _kitten_ yourself?"

Marinette groans at the terrible cat pun, and Adrien laughs at her reaction. But his laugh is contagious, Marinette discovers, and she's laughing along with him before she even knows it. For a second, they're Chat Noir and Ladybug, laughing together on top of the Eiffel Tower as the moonlight shines down on both of them.

They know each other as Chat Noir and Ladybug, but it's going to take some time for them to know each other as Adrien and Marinette. It may seem like a small beginning, but to them, it's a beginning that's long overdue.

"What's going on here?"

Their laughter is cut off by a familiar voice, and they both turn away from each other and look ahead to see Alya standing in front of them with a wide smile on her face. She places her hands on her hips and leans in, hoping to get something out of them.

Behind her, Nino has his hands full with tubs of large popcorn, a tray of drinks, and two bags of sour gummies (it's a wonder how he's able to hold them all without spilling a single thing). He makes his way next to Alya and asks, "Yeah, what's so funny?"

Adrien and Marinette look at each other, and smile.

"It's nothing."

* * *

 **A/N:** Can someone explain to me _why_ coming up with an akuma is so _hard_?

At first, I wanted the akumatized victim's weapon to be cards, but then the episode _Jackady_ came out and I was like oh. So, I came up with _Paperman_ and it's terrible and I should give myself massive papercuts for not being able to come up with something better. Forgive me. ;-;

This idea has been on my mind for too long LOL I'm so happy I finally got to write it down! The discussions about _Cinderella_ and _The Little Mermaid_ above really did happen in my English class about a month ago, and that's actually what gave me the idea for the story. It was fun writing this. :)

Thank you for reading!


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